Machine for stacking sheet material



Oct. 11, 1938.- o. E. woLr-'F MACHINE FOR STACKING SHEET MATERIAL Original Filed Ocf.. 7, 1935 3 Sheelts-Sheeivl Q ian Il' Il if du ATTORN EY Oct. 11, 1938. o. E. woLFF MACHINE FOR STACKING SHEET-MATEBIAL 5, Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Oct. 7, 1935 Oct. Il, 1938. 0. E WOLFF MACHINE FOR s TAcKING SHEET MATERAL 'ogiginal Filed oct. 7, 41955 s sheets-sheet s Flo. 8

Fla. 3

l INVKENTO ATTORN EY Patenfd oct. 11,1938

UNITED STATE.

The present invention relates to vmeans for 2,133,260 MACHINE Fon s'r'AcKING. snEE'r MATERIAL Otto Edward Wolff, Arlington, Mass., assignor to Paul S. Bauer; Belmont, R. S. Bauer Trust Original application October 7, 1935,- SerialjNo. 43,928. Divided and thisapplication June 14, 1937, Serial No. 148,125

' 1 claims. (01.27042) Mass., trustee of the clined conveyor belts 4.

s PATENT jor-FICE Above the 'point 12,

handling sheet material, and more particularly to such sheet material as newspapers and periodicals.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel mechanism for accumulating a stack of sheets from below the stack.

Other and further objects will be explained hereinafter, and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention will now be explained in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 -is a longitudinal vertical section of a machine such as is disclosed in a copending application, Serial No. 43,928, led October '7, .1935, of which the-present application is a division; Fig. 2 is a view'oflthe stack hold-down weight illustrated in Fig. 1, shown by full and dotted lines in two different positions; Fig. 3 is a corresponding end view, looking from the right; Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2, showing a modied stack hold-down weight; Fig. 5 is a corresponding plan View; Fig. 6 is a view,

corresponding to Fig. 3, of a further modification; Fig. 'l is a corresponding plan view; Fig. 8 isa View, corresponding to Fig. 2, of still a further modication; and Fig. 9 is a corresponding plan.

A- plurality of newspapers 2 are shown in Fig. 1 in lapped relation, upon inclined conveyor belts 4 by whichthey are delivered into a hopper 6, where'they become temporarilyv stacked. As the rst newspaper 2 is delivered by the conveyor belts 4 into a. hopper 6, it is carried by horizontally disposed, continuously traveling belts 8, atthe bottom of the hopper 6, forward, ortoward the left, as viewed in Fig. 1. The

v second newspaper 2 is similarly carried forward,

. said'Fig. l) ends o f those newspapers 2 that are disposed above the lowermost newspaper or to the left, on top of the first newspaper 2. The

third newspaper 2 is similarly carried forward,

to the left, on top of the second newspaper, and

so on. f

The forward, or left-hand (as viewed in the .newspapers soon engage a vertically disposed,

shield wall I0 that prevents their further progress.

The left-hand end I2 (as viewed in Fig. 1)

of a wall I4 is disposed near the upper end of the' vertically disposed, shield wall I0, at a point a. little higher than the lowest point of the inclined conveyor belts 4. The wall I4 is shown inclining toward the right, substantially parallel, and oppositely disposed, to the said invan idler roll 33.

therefore, the newspapers will become collected in the hopper 6 in an inclined stack between the wall I4 .of the hopper 6 and the inclined beltsl 4.

The weight of the stack serves to press the lowermost newspaper 2 against the said horizontally disposed belts 8, at the bottom of the hopper 6.

The lower terminal portion of the vertically dispsed, shield wan lo terminates in a finger I6, disposed very close tothe horizontally disposed conveyor belts 8, but raised slightly thereabove, so as to provide a space through which,

the conveyor belts 8-may feed the lowermost newspaper 2 out of the hopper 6, into the space outside, to` the left of kthe hopper, as shown in Fig. 1.

The space near the belt conveyor 8, under the extremity I8 of the nger I6, should preferably be adjusted so as to be less than the,v thickness of l two newspapers, so that the second newspaper from the bottom shall be caughtby .the sloping, inner wall of the inclined nger I6, as illustrated more particularly in Fig. 1.

The preferred mechanism for adjusting theA position of the nger I6 comprises two e'ccentrics 2D disposed between two pairs of lugs 22 and 24 that extend horizontally o'u'tlfrom the'vertil A cally disposed, shield wall I0, at the extreme ends thereof. The eccentrics 2l) are pivoted about a shaft 25 to which is fastened an adjusting handle (not shown) that is positioned outside the side frame of the machine. The shield wall I0 will be guided in lsuch vertical movement by ways 29 in the side frames" of the machine. j

The newspaper or newspapers are passed out of the hopper 6, under the finger I6, by the same conveyor belts 8 beforedescribed; and to this end, they extend forward, tothe left of the vertically disposed shield wall I0, a considerable distance beyond the confines of the hopper 6.V The belts pass over lpulleys 32 and 34, and also over The right-hand pulley 32 is provided with a plurality of .projections 35 for agitating the rear ends of the papers 2 in the hopper 6,- as it revolves, thus eliminating the tendency of the papers 2stick1ng together in `the hopper 6, and also tending to drive the lowest paper2 tothe left, toward the shield I0;

If more thanfone paper (or the desired other number of papers) shouldl tend to feed'past the E shield IIJ, they will become separated by a separating roll 38, which is flexibly spring-pressed againstthe belts 8 and anidler roll 36 under the belts 8.

After the papers have thus been caused to travel from the conveyor belts 4 into the hopper 6, and from the hopper 6 between the rolls 36 and 38, they are next counted. As soon as the paper has traveled beyond the position occupied by a counting finger 44, it falls into the space 42 .between the successive papers 2. Each raising and lowering of the counting nger 44 above a plate |52, about its pivot |56, will result in registering a count an additional counting nger 46, pivoted at |54, and spaced from the counting ringer 44 in the line of feed, may be employed, particularly with overlapped newspapers, as described in the said application. The movement of the contact ngers 44 and 46 serves to close an electric circuit for actuating a counter controlled by a magnet 282.

The papers 2 are then transferred tothe upper a portion of the machineby means of vertically disposed, continuously traveling, lift, conveyor belts 68 and 62.

Conveyor belts 68. pass over two large pulleys 64 and 66 and a, smaller pulley 68. The' conv`eyor belts 62 pass over three pulleys 18, 12 and 14. The upper portions of the belt conveyors 68 and 62 are disposed below, and at an upward incline to, the bottom of a magazine 18,

or 88 be horizontaL-they may be inclined under the hopper 6 or the magazine 18 at an angle.

The papers are thus carried toward a predetermined point of the bottomv of the magazine 18, just above the pulley 82, and under the bent portions 92 at the left of a hold-down weight or weights 16, or under the rearward projecting ends of the newspapers 2 in the magazine 18, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

The function of the weight 16 is to press the lowest paper 2 against the conveyor belts 88. This function is not needed in the hopper 6, because of the weight of the papers 2 that are fed in from above the stack. In the magazine 18, however, the papers are fed in by the conveyors 68 and 62 from below.

As the rst paper 2 is delivered by the conveyor belts 68 and 62, between the pulleys 14 and 82, it travels at the said upward incline, above the said pulleys 68 and 82, the pulley 82 thus serving as a guide roll.

The front edge 1 of the first newspaper 2 is first gripped between the body portion of the hold-down weight 16, at the point where it joins the bent portion 82, and the portions of the belts 88 immediately beneath. 'I'he said front edge 1 is then dragged in by the conveyor belts 88, under the said bent end 82 of the hold-down weight 16. The pulley 84 is disposed beyond the magazine 18, to the right thereof, as viewed in Fig. 1, so that the belt conveyor 88 would carry the papers in the magazine 18 beyond, and to the right of, the magazine 18, on to a table |48, were 1t,.not for stops 86 that project upward between the stacker belts 88 to engage the forward end of the lower paper or papers 2 in the magazine 18 and limit its or their further progress. The stops 86 need `not project very high, since it is quite sufllcient .neWSpaper to restrain the travel of only the bottom paper 2 in the magazine 18.

As the newspapers 2 continue to be successively advanced by the belt conveyors 68 and 62, the forward end 1 of each next-following newspaper, as it leaves between `the pulleys 14 and 82, enters into the magazine 18 at a point between the pulley 82 and under the rear end of the newspaper already at the bottom of this magazine 18, overhanging, or projecting rearwardly over, the pulley 82, providing a small space for the entering paper 2 to pass between the bottom of the stack of papers and the upper reach of the belts 88. After the rst newspaper 2 has been fed into the magazine 18, it will itself serve as such guide for the next-following newspaper, provided that the distance of the stop 86 from the uppermost point of the pulley 82, at the receiving end of the conveyor 18, is less than the length of the It 'need not, however, be a great deal less. The remaining papers in the magazine, above the bottom paper 2, will remain in the magazine, because they are protected from the feeding action of the belts 88 by the lowermost paper in the stack, which is alone in contact with the belts 88, and they are held in the magazine 18 by the hold-down weight 16.

'Ihe newspapers 2 are thus fed into the magazine 18 by the combined movements of the lift belts 68 and 62 andthe stacker belts 88. The bends in the newspapers during such feeding are influenced by both these sets of belts. It is possible to control the bends, therefore, by different `arrangements of the belts, and also to have the newspapers leave the belt conveyors 68 and 62 at a downward incline, as explained in the said application. i

The belt conveyors 68 and 62 may be modiiled by raising the central belts of one of them, and correspondingly lowering the central belts of the other, with respect to the side belts. The papers 2 will then be fed into the magazine 18 concaved or convexed and, therefore, stiffer than when fed into the magazine flat. Such stillness will prevent all possibility of the unrestrained sections of the papers buckling in the space between the guide roll 82 and the bent portions 82 of the hold-down weight 14 or the rearwardly projecting, tail ends of the sheets in the maga- The convexity or the concavity need exzine. tend only part way under the stack at this point.

It is desirable to have the horizontally disposed conveyor belts 8 travel at a higher speed than the inclined conveyor belts 4, but at a slower speed than that of the lift belts 68 and 62 which,

in turn, should travel moreslowly th-an the stack belts 88. The papers 2 will then separate out more rapidly in the hopper 6, and congestion and buckling of the papers 2, that might be caused by slippage between the belts and the papers 2, 'is avoided. Such slippage is particularly possible in the magazine 18, caused by the drag of the upper papers 2 therein on the lowermost paper 2 as it is fed into the magazine 18.

Thedesired relative speeds may be produced in any desired manner, as explained in the said application, from a motor 65 that is supported in a cradle 59.

The newspapers 2 thus become stacked on the coveyor 88, and the stack in the magazine 18' or the counting fingers 44 and 46, has been collected in the magazine 18. The weight 16 rises higher and higher during this accumulation of the papers in the magazine 18, so as always to press down upon the top vnewspaper in the ,magazine, thus to press the bottom newspaper in the magazine against the conveyor belts 80 during its feeding into the magazine.

To permit such raising of the weight 16, it is shown, in Figs. 1 and 2, as constituted of one or more ilat bars, having the integral, angularly the left, out of the magazine 18, when it drops to the bottom of the magazine after the stack of newspapers therein has been delivered onto the delivery table |40. In this position, the bent` portion 92 serves as a guide for guiding the first newspaper 2, as it is received from the conveyors 60 and 62, in under the hold-down weight 16 and above the conveyor 80. As the stacklof papers 2 in the magazine rises, the weight 1lialso rises and, at the same time, moves to the right, as illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, actuating the link 86 also to the right, away from the stop |00. The link joint enables the hold-down weight 16 to lie at on the top paper 2 of the stack no matter what the height of the stack.

A modified hold-down weight is illustrated in Figs. 4'and 5, constituted of one or more flat bars |02, connected with a vertical, centrally disposed, bar |04, restricted to move vertically only in a guide -or guides |86, `from the lowermost, or full-line position of Fig. 4 to the dottedline position thereof. f The guide or guides |06 are shown as a hole in a cross piece |01 disposed at the top of the magazine 18. The ends of the cross piece |01 are provided with pins |09 that slide in vertically disposed slots ||6 in the side Walls of the magazine 18, thus preventing the weights |02 from turning aboutthe central bar |04. This hold-down weight |02 has the advantage over the hold-down weight 16 in that it remains centrally positioned over the stack of newspapers 2 in the magazine 18, irrespective of the height of the stack.

Still another' modified hold-down weight is illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, comprising one or more flat bars |08 connected to a frame member or carriage ||0, having upwardly extending, Vertically disposed arms ||2, each provided with a pair of guide or anti-friction wheels l I4, adapted to move vertically in the vertically disposed guide grooves ||6 in the side walls of the magazine 18.

'I'he wheels ||4 produce less friction than the pins |09 of Figs.'4 and 5. 'I'his hold-down weight has the same advantage as the hold-down weight |02, and is more positive in action.

Each bar of the hold-down weight |02 has an integral, upwardly bent portion |48, corresponding to the upwardly bent portions 92 of the bars of the hold-down weight 18, for guiding thefirst Figs. 8 and 9 is connected, at its front and rear ends, to one end\of links ||3, the other ends of which are connected to arms that are geared together at ||1. vided vwith a counterweight H9, that reduces the pressureon the topmost paper in the stack of papers 2 in the magazine 18 as the height ofv This results in uniforml the stack increases. pressure between the 'stack 2 and the belts 80 and enables the stack of papersv 2 to be released easily for delivery to the table |40.v The holddown weight mechanism is provided with guide pins |23 that fit into vertically disposed slots |2| in the sides of the magazine 18 to maintain the weights horizontal. This function is aided by thegear segments ||1. The topmost position of the weights is indicated by dotted lin'es in Fig. 8. a

Wrapping paper is fed intermittently from a roll or reel of wrapping paper ||8 that is mounted to turn upon a spindle or rod |20, disposed at the left-hand side of the machine, and a little below the magazine 18. From the roll H8, thel wrapping-paper web |22 rises substantially vertically to a guide roll |24, overwhich it passes to the right, over/a platen |26, mounted upon a platen lever 243, pivoted at 250, and under-a backing plate |28 of the addressing mechanism.

The platen |26 is intermittently moved upward by a cam 254 to force the interposedwrappingpaper web |22 against a type-backed ribbonV |30 between the web |22 and an `address plate 228 contained in a container 226. A- spring y256 returns the plate |26 to its illustrated position.

Diierent address plates 228 will lthus produce yin feeding the required length of wrapper from the reel 8. Such revolution of the feed roll |32 will be produced after a predetermined degree of rotation of the shaft 386, as will be explained later. The web |22 is fed between a cutter bed |36 and a cutter roll |38 and, through guides and |31 (Fig. 1) over to the stacker belts 80, which grip the web under the hold-down .weight 16 and carry it forward to the right,

stretching itl taut. At the completion of the revolution of the feed roll |32, the cutter roll |38 is actuated, in synchronism with the other movements of the machine parts, to make one revolution, thereby severing the addressed portion of the web |22 from, the remainder of the web. The severed portion of. the web constitutes a wrapper; in the industry, it is often called a snipe.

The wrapper, thus severed, is thereupon pulled` into the magazine 18 by the belts 80, into engagement with the stops 86, and remains there until the first newspaper 2 enters the magazine 18 under the wrpper. The next-following newslpapers are then' fed in under this firstv newspaper, as before described, the wrapper remaining always at the topv of the stack, under the hold-down weight '16.' Thename, address `and other information relating to the dealer for whom thestack of newspapers 2 in the magazine 18 is about to becollected have previouslyl been printed, as before described, on the upper side of the wrapper.

The table |40 is provided with a vertically disposed, Ystop wall |42 for limiting the forward movement of the newspapers.

After a predetermined number of newspapers 2 have been accumulated in the magazine 18, as determined by the counting finger 44, or the counting fingers 44 and 46, further feeding of the newspapers into the magazine 18 will automatically be stopped, as hereinafter described. The stops 86 will thereupon be turned about a rock shaft I 89 to which they are rigidly attached, in opposition to the force exerted by a counterweight |51, whereupon the conveyor 80 will carry the stack of newspapers accumulated in the magazine 18, as a unit, out of the magazine 18 and on to the table |40, or the said secondary or other wrapper resting thereon. The hold-down weight 16, of course, then falls by gravity once more to the bottom of the magazine 18.

The mechanism for freeing the stops 86 is illustrated and described more particularly in the said application. v

A plurality of bar supports |46, rigidly connectedl together upon a common frame, are nor- .mally disposed below, and between, the beltsB,

as shown more particularly in Fig. 1. In such normal disposition of the supports |46, they are ineffective, and do not interfere with the feeding of the newspapers 2 out of the hopper 6 by the belts 8. The supports |46, however, may become raised, as a unit, up between the belts 8, into an effective position, thus performing adouble functtion: first, they lift the newspapers 2 up above the belts, where they constitute a ltable for supporting the newspapers, so that the belts can not,

further, convey the newspapers out of the hopper 6; and secondly, they close up the space under v the finger I6, so that the newspapers could not any longer be fed under the finger I6, even if the belts could, otherwise, be capable of doing so.

This raising of the table supports |46 is automatically eiected, immediately after every feeding of the desired, predetermined number of papers 2 out of the hopper 6, by means of long, parallelly disposed, side rods |86, pivoted at |88. The raising of the table |46 is effected by means of an eccentric |68 that is rotatably mounted upon a constantly rotated shaft |10 that is journaled in the front and rear frame plates of the machine. An eccentric strap |12, that is mounted over the eccentric |68, is integral with a depending hollow, connectingrod |14, in which is mounted a stem or plunger |16, to the lower projecting end of which the separating roll 38 ispivoted. The spring 40 is mounted in the hollow of the rod |14, in coiled form, about the upper end of the stem |16. The separating roll 38 is thus raised simultaneously with the raising of the table |46.

The side rods |86 are provided with bent, fory ward ends (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 8) thatare pivoted at the ends of the spindle |18. The table supports |46 are secured to cross bars that transversely connect the side rods |86, through openings |81 and |90 in the side plates of the machine frame. rI'he operations are controlled by magnets 3|6 and 3|8. Y

An electromagnet (not shown) may operate a shaft 386, supported ina memberv 258, through a single revolution to permit a spring 246, one end o f which is fastened at 241 and the other end to the arm 240, to effect the actuation of a link 244 and, therefore, a cycle of movement of an address slide 232. The slide 232 is returned by a spring-loaded arm 238. The plates 228 are successively moved to the left, from underneath the addressing device |28, to a position underneath the counter and selector, at the same time that the lowermost plate 228 in the container 226 is moved under the addressing device |28, shown between the counter and the container 226. The slide 232 is provided with an upward projection 234 having an anti-friction roll 236 that may be engaged by an arm 238. The arms 238 and 240 are pivoted about a pivotal shaft 242. 'Ihe arm 238 is positively actuated about the pivot 242 by means of the connecting rod 244. The plate 228 previously under the addressing device |28 is moved into the selector to control the counting olf of the proper number of papers to be fed under the wrapper now in position inthe magazine 18. vAfter it has been used, the plate 228 is moved into the container 26|, under a springpressed finger 263. The .plates 228 are later removed from the container 26| for new use.

To summarize, the newspapers are held in the magazine' 18 by a stop 86, and are held down by various hold-down weights, as illustrated more particularly in Figs. 2 to 9. At the end of a predetermined count, the feed of the papers 2 out of the hopper 6 is stopped, this being effected by raising the table |46 from under the belts. 8 at the bottom. of the hopper 6, so as to close the gap under the finger I6 of the shield I0. The stop 86 is then released to permit the belts 80 to feed the stack of the counted number of papers in the magazine 18 on to the receiving table |40, the movement of the papers on the table |40 being limited by the wall |42. A new stack v`of papers, corresponding to a new address plate,

is then counted off.

Further modifications will occur to persons skilled in the art, and all such are considered to fall within the spirit'and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus of the character described comprising a frame for supporting a stack of sheets, a hold-down weight for pressing against the top of the stack, and a link pivoted at one end to the frame and at the other end to the hold-down weight.

2. Apparatus of the character described comprising a frame, a hold-down weight, a link pivoted at one end to the frame and at the other end to the hold-down weight, and means for 'counterweighting the hold-down weight.

3. Apparatus of the character described comprising a magazine, means for feeding articles into the magazine eachbelow the preceding article, a hold-down weight for engaging the uppermostarticle in the magazine, and a link pivoted at its lower end to the hold-down weight.

4. Apparatus of the character described comprising a magazine, means for feeding articles into the magazine each below the preceding article, a hold-down weight for engaging the uppermost article in the magazine and adapted to move vertically to compensate for different heights of stacks, and means for guiding the vertical movementv of the hold-down weight.l

`5. Apparatus of the character described comprising a magazine, means for lfeeding articles into the magazine each below the preceding arpermost article in the magazine, the hold-down weight being provided with a guide frame member adapted to move'vertically, and means for ticle, a hold-down weight for engaging the upg aisaaeo guiding the vertical movement of the guide frame member.

6.- Apparatus of the character described comprising a magazine, means for feeding articles into the magazine each below the preceding article, a hold-down weight for engaging the uppermost article in the magazine, the hold-down weight being provided with a guide frame member adapted to move vertically, and means for guiding the vertical movement of the` guide frame member comprising rolls or wheels on the guide frame member, the magazine having -so counterweightlng the hold-down weight as to secure a reduced pressure by the hold-down weight against the'articles in the magazine as 10 the stack of the said` articles increases in height.

OfITO E. WOLF'F. 

